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Minerals in Skin Care: How Do They Work?

Posted on Sep 18, 2017 by Paul WebDev

6 Essential Minerals for Healthy Skin

With all the attention received by skincare superstars like vitamins, peptides, vegetable oilsand miraculousfruit/herb extracts, the importance of minerals in skincare has been somewhat overlooked.Minerals perform a bounty of important functions in our entire body, includingour skin. While a healthy and balanceddiet is the number one source of these important elements, topical applicationcan also improve the look of your skin significantly and help it stay healthy from within.

Zinc

The fact that six percent of the total bodyzinc is located in the skin should be enough to emphasize the impact itsdeficiency has on skin health. Zinc has the remarkable ability to enhance the healing of wounds+ soothes inflammations (prevents and controls acne breakouts)+ repairs damaged skin. Since zinc oxide is also a potent antioxidant, it iswidely used in sunscreen as broad-spectrum (natural!) protection against UVAand UVB rays.

*Ifyou want to read more about zinc oxide’s UV-blocking properties, you can visit this page.

Selenium

Selenium is another powerful antioxidant, whichkeeps our skin safe from UV damage + is believed to prevent premature aging. Whilefighting free radicals off, selenium also maintains the integrity of skin’slipid barrier, which is crucial for preserving elasticity and firmness.

Copper

Copper is other minerals’ “little helper”. Whencombined with selenium and zinc, copper enhances their positive effects on theskin and boosts their effectiveness. Apart from that, copper strengthens skin’snatural shield against free radicals, preserving the cells healthy. When pairedwith zinc, copper assists in the production of collagenandelastin – essential proteins, responsible for keeping skin fibres strong andflexible.

Sulphur

The third most abundant mineral in ourbodies is sulphur. Sulphur has been used for ages to treat various skin conditions, such as acne,dermatitis, eczema, and rosacea. According to recent research, it assists in sheddingexcessive skin, preventing clogged pores and unpleasant breakouts. Besides that, sulphur improves the production of collagenand may postpone the onset of the first signs of aging.

Calcium

We are all familiar with the importance ofregular and sufficient calcium supply for teeth and bone health, but what do we know about the effects calcium has on the skin?

It turns out, calcium is just as important for your skin, as it is for your overall health. Calcium helps the skin regulate how fast itreplaces old cells with the new ones. If the rate of cellular turnover is low,this result in thin, dull, and overly sensitive skin. We don’t want any ofthese, do we?

Much debate has been sparked about the absorbabilityof minerals through skin. However, while in their simple, ionic form, themajority of minerals remain on top of your skin, without penetrating, the cosmetics industry has come up with various ways (carriermolecules, being one of them) to make minerals reach the deeper layers of theskin, where they are needed. As the technology continues to improve, the use ofminerals in skincare products will definitely continue to grow.